In connection with Orange Coast's FAB April restaurants issue, a party was had, at the curious-yet-sensible Fixtures Living at the SoCo Collection in Costa Mesa. Restaurants making the Top 10 made the scene, serving specialties to attendees. I wrote about one little bite I thought was esp. good. Chef Casey Overton sure knows how to build a flavor profile, it is clear to see.

SLAPFISH, the formerly-a-GFT casual fish concept where everything's sustainably sourced, has opened its first restaurant, in Huntington Beach. The news is, SLAPFISH #2 is already in the works, at the Anaheim Packing House. Coolness. Now, let's have one out here in the hinterlands!

This coming Sunday, it's the Taste of HB, where one not-bad-at-all price gets you unlimited tastes & sips, accompanied by live music. And all with the very noble mission of benefiting the children's library.

A bonus this time is my editor from Orange Coast, Chris Christensen, will be among the judges on the panel, which also includes OC fooderati Nancy Luna and Cathy Thomas, Fast Food Maven and food columnist from the OC Reg, respectively.

And making it three in a row from Chris, my editor at the mag, a quick look back at her Taste of Huntington Beach judging experience. Reminded me: MUSTmustmust get to Slater's 50/50 for that PB&J burger!

I mean, I like tofu already, and love to get down to the nitty-gritty nuts-and-bolts of ingredient history, but the thing about this book is, non-freaks will be fascinated, too. And, great recipes―including one in the blog tomorrow.

You will LOVE this recipe, from Andrea Nguyen's Asian Tofu, reviewed in the previous Taste of Orange County post. Leastaways, I love it. It's pretty much got everything going for it, taste-wise. And don't miss a look at Nguyen's cool Asian Market Shopper app on iTunes. A great thing to have in your back pocket―literally!

I've written before about my unshakeable belief, cemented with years of product testing, that Hass avocados from La Habra Heights, where the cultivar was developed, are just plain BETTER. Best, even. Also before, I've written about Cliff & Marisa Kane, whose Kane's Family Farm in the aforementioned LHH was such a welcome addition to our OC farmers market firmament a couple of years ago.

Now, the Kanes are practically movie stars! Well, documentary stars, anyways. A young Chapman University film student, Molly Gard, has made a beautiful short doc featuring the Kanes that is SO worth watching. I loved the peek into the Kane's life behind the farmers market table, and I bet you will. too.

Today in m' blog, it's the What Did We Cook result of an idea that'd been floating in my liminal state for a while. We all know (and love) the Italian chicken-under-a-brick trip whose crispy skin is unlike any other (crispy skin), right? And nothing against the trad semi-boned half a chicken, but... would it work with just thighs? Answer below!

Everybody in OC, and many far, far beyond, knows Bruxie, right? With the cute, euphonious catchphrase "the bold fold," the sort of unlikely yet unstoppable waffle-sandwich concept is a momentum-building juggernaut at the earliest stages of awesome domination. The power to come is unfathomable.

Hyperbole? Bet not.

The current Bruxie news is store #3 has opened in Rancho Santa Margarita, joining the teensy Orange original that took over the historic Dairy Treet stand near Chapman University, and a more elaborate installation in even-yet redeveloping downtown Brea. (Surely the longest redevelopment story arc among OC cities, Brea's got.) So, that makes 3, on the way to what surely will be something like 3,000.

This post was a little heads-up about a wonderful event. What a privilege, truly, to hear Anne Willan speaking extemporaneously from her well of knowledge about France, where she lived and taught for decades. Fully complemented by the deep cheesepertise of Vin Goat co-owner Erich Vogel. Vogel and partner John Bennett plan more such events in their tidy shop, chockablock with fine cheeses but accommodating for a group, too.

In Taste of Orange County on Friday, a recipe. And not just any, but a very very good, Elizabeth David-derived preparation involving fresh grape leaves and mushrooms. It's something that once you make, you want to keep making. (And one of the just-happens-to-be-vegan school.)

As I just tweeted, the thought occurred, in my liminal state: Wouldn't those adorable mini cocottes from Staub or Le Creuset be PERFECT for individual servings of this dish? I can SO see that. Not that I have a battalion of those little guys to hand, ready to put this idea into application―but clearly a slam-dunk for those lucky enough to have 'em in their batteries de cuisine.

A big pot, maybe even a doubled batch, is a fine, fine thing, too, though.

It's no secret how I feel about TJ's Woodfire Pizza... and with their coming-up-on-two-years, my (and my family's) interest only grows. Last weekend we tried a new-to-us pizza, the luxe Giannelli, with burrata and a generous shower of fennel pollen. SO good. You can kind of tell, just by the Le Mangeur photo.

Today in the blog, open for public viewing through December 20, it's a massive―indeed, Guinness World Record-breaking―chocolate sculpture. Happens to be a scale model of the largest Mayan temple at Chichen Itza, beautifully detailed. Worth a visit!